Voters follow teachers union

Winning Fresno Unified school board candidates had key endorsement.

Published online on Thursday, Nov. 09, 2006

Voter impatience with school board candidates running slate-style races could have contributed to the defeat of two Fresno Unified incumbents, some district observers said Wednesday.

City voters rejected four Fresno Unified school board candidates endorsed by a group of politicians and business leaders in Tuesday's elections, instead favoring two incumbents and two challengers who had endorsements from the teachers union.

Incumbents Tony Vang and Valerie Davis and challengers Cal Johnson and Michelle Arax Asadoorian will join three others on the board of California's fourth-largest school district.

Fresno Unified observers offered opinions on what Tuesday's election will mean for the academically struggling district and why voters made the choices they did — including the ouster of board president Luisa Medina.

Medina enjoyed the financial and political support of a group called Voices for Excellence in Fresno Unified, along with incumbent Pat Barr and challengers Julie Hornback and Stafford Parker.

The Voices group members included political leaders such as Assembly Member Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, and business leaders such as Richard Johanson, chairman emeritus of the Fresno Business Council.

Fresno voters may be tiring of political groups like Voices that carry "what they perceive to be the good government banner," said David Schecter, a political science professor at California State University, Fresno.

"It's maybe time that these groups sit out an election or two because they haven't been that successful," he said, noting that previous groups backed by Mayor Alan Autry had mixed results.

Former Fresno County schools superintendent Pete Mehas said past slates have been victorious only when Fresno Unified badly needed change.

"I don't think the slate struck a chord with anybody this time," he said.

All of Tuesday's winners had the endorsement of the Fresno Teachers Association. President Larry Moore said teacher volunteers worked hard, walking precincts and calling voters to help the candidates.

Voters sent a clear message, Moore said: They rejected the Voices vision of improving the district through management and programs and supported the vision of improving schools through well-supported classroom teachers.

"We need to refocus and make sure we remember what education is really about," he said.

The only election result that surprised Mehas was Medina's defeat by Johnson, a retired college administrator and relative political unknown.

Amy Arambula, who volunteered for the Voices group, said she has known Medina for 30 years and admires her advocacy for children.

"She deserved a lot better from this community," she said.

Barr said Wednesday she felt the union's negative mailing campaign damaged her in the race.

"I was tried by old history from before I got on the board and on tough decisions I made," she said.

Mehas said Arax Asadoorian belongs to an established Fresno family and knows a lot of people, but she was also a tough competitor.

"I could clearly see that she had the fire," he said.

Mehas said Davis ran a strong campaign and won the support of Democrats and Republicans. He said Vang did the same thing, and their challengers couldn't muster the clout needed to beat them.

Fresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson said Tuesday's winners didn't waste any time getting to work. The existing board, along with Arax Asadoorian and Johnson, attended a daylong special board meeting Wednesday.

"It was just a great picture of how democracy actually works," he said.

Mehas said the quickest way to figure out the educational philosophy of new board members will be to watch how they spend money.

"It'll be interesting to see whether they support the goals and objectives Michael Hanson has laid out," he said.

The swearing-in of board members and election of the board president and clerk is scheduled for Dec. 13.